Chapter 125: Dissociation
On this day, Songhe Hall welcomed an unexpected guest. That person was none other than Prince Chun in disguise.
Seeing that Old Madam Xiao remained silent and was looking at him seriously, Prince Chun bowed solemnly and said, "Old Madam, how are you? Although I have come to the capital, it is not for any official business. I am not afraid of you laughing at me, but I am here for the Fifth Miss of the Cui family."
The Prince Chun in front of him was not yet thirty years old. He had married a princess before, but she passed away a few years ago, leaving behind only a daughter.
Prince Chun's fiefdom was close to Qinghe River, which was a thousand miles away.
It was shocking enough to see a person suddenly change his appearance in front of you, but I didn't expect the news this person brought was even more incredible.
However, Madam Xiao was accustomed to the strange things in the world, so she was able to remain calm. She said calmly, "How can this be explained? The prince's unauthorized entry into the capital is a capital offense, and now that he has come to the Duke of Chengguo's mansion, he has put the mansion in an unjust position. Moreover, the prince claimed to be marrying, but instead of looking for the young lady's parents or relatives, he went to a aunt from the Cui family. This is really hard to explain."
However, Prince Chun probably knew some of the inside story before he came. The fifth daughter of the Cui family left her parents and family and came to Beijing alone at this age, obviously coming for marriage.
Moreover, the old lady of the Chengguo Mansion is the Cui family's greatest reliance at present.
Can Madam Xiao make the decision for the fifth young lady of the Cui family?
Of course you can.
But the old man's heart was as clear as a mirror. If the Cui family wanted to be tied to the powerful, how could they have waited until today? Not to mention the sensitive identity of Prince Chun in front of them.
So I can only find some excuses.
But Prince Chun suddenly changed his tone and talked about Xiao Mo, the commander of the Imperial Guards: "Old Lady, please don't be so hasty to reject me. Why not ask your eldest grandson for his opinion?"
The person in front of her had a confident smile on his face, which immediately made Madam Xiao feel uncertain. Could it be that the two of them really had some agreement before?
After Prince Chun left, the old lady quickly sent someone to the second gate to pass on a message, asking the steward to immediately ask the eldest son to come to Songhe Hall if he saw him.
In fact, there was no need to be so troublesome. Before this, the guards Xiao Mo placed in the mansion had already told him that Prince Chun had come.
Therefore, when he arrived at Songhe Hall in the evening, his expression was very calm.
When the old lady saw him sitting down, she asked, "What's going on? He asked me to ask you, did you promise him something before?"
Xiao Mo thought of the bandits his grandmother encountered when she came back from Qinghe last time. If he had been a step later, the consequences would have been disastrous.
He initially thought that it was a play directed and acted by Prince Chun himself, but eventually someone followed the clues and investigated.
It was only then that we learned that Prince Chun was able to know about this in advance because Prince Liang's old subordinates approached him and wanted the two sides to join forces. After being rejected by him, they used their own network of connections in the capital to deliver a letter to him.
"I do owe him a favor." Xiao Mo said.
But how can I exchange it for cousin Cui’s marriage?
Madam Xiao was shocked. "What are you thinking? The Cui family must not marry into the Prince of Chun, otherwise we will become a sitting duck in the eyes of the emperor. And then our Chengguo Mansion will be dragged into it too."
Therefore, that person looked down on the old subordinates of King Liang, but set his sights on the Mansion of Duke Chengguo.
Xiao Mo said coldly: "Ignore him."
But when Prince Chun came next time, he brought a girl's handkerchief with him.
As the protagonist of the story, Cui Zhaoran naturally knew about this matter these days. When she saw the handkerchief, her face suddenly turned pale.
Seeing this, Madam Xiao became anxious, "Is it really yours?"
Cui Zhaoran remembered that he had indeed seen a man on the day of the dragon boat race. The man was wearing a plain white robe and looked quite elegant, like a scholar. Cui Zhaoran looked at him a few more times.
When the two passed each other, the man smiled and nodded at her, but when he went back later, the handkerchief in his sleeve was missing.
Seeing her bitter face, the old lady roughly understood.
Cui Zhaoran told Madam Xiao everything that happened that day. Through her description, the old lady also realized that the person she met was indeed Prince Chun.
He was so brave that not only did he sneak into the capital, he even walked around under the emperor's nose!
Seeing the young lady blaming herself for what she had done wrong, the old lady comforted her, "Don't worry, you've been tricked. But you still need to be more vigilant in the future. This place is not like Qinghe. There are people with the surname Cui all around."
Cui Zhaoran nodded repeatedly, having lost the excitement he had felt when he first came to the capital.
After the Dragon Boat Festival, the weather gradually became warmer.
The house had not started using ice yet, but my third cousin and cousin Cui had already changed into soft and light dresses.
Xu Shuyao asked Qiao Wei to help her braid her hair and then tied it into two small buns on the side of her head. She immediately felt refreshed and cooler.
Today is a day off, and everyone in the mansion gathered in Songhe Hall to chat.
Seeing that no one touched the cups of tea on the table, Xu Shuyao volunteered to help everyone make sour plum soup.
Sour plum soup is made with black plum, tangerine peel, licorice and osmanthus.
Xu Shuyao first simmered it in a ceramic pot over low heat for more than half an hour, and then added osmanthus flowers to enhance the fragrance, which she found very thirst-quenching and heat-relieving.
The small kitchen was just behind Songhe Hall. She looked at the fire, a thin layer of sweat on her forehead.
I was just wondering why my maid hadn't come back yet.
But suddenly she felt a cool breeze blowing on her face. Xu Shuyao raised her head and saw the prince waving a round fan with a smile in his eyes.
She was startled and looked around.
Xiao Mo pointed outside, and she walked to the window to look, but there was no one in the backyard.
If you pay a little more attention, you will see two pairs of feet close together under the cherry tree.
They were both linen shoes, but judging by the size, it was obvious that they were a boy and a girl.
The cook's husband was a minor steward in the mansion. Xu Shuyao had known him before and often saw him coming to look for his wife.
She thought of something and her cheeks suddenly turned red.
The prince's voice came from behind: "I haven't seen enough yet."
Xu Shuyao turned around and glared at him, but her cheeks turned red as a peach, and she looked very charming.
Xiao Mo stared at it for a while and was about to say something.
Suddenly realizing something was wrong, he turned around and saw his mother standing at the door of the small kitchen, looking at them in shock.
"You...what are you doing here?"
Xu Shuyao looked up when she heard the voice and saw the Duke's wife at the door. She seemed to be identifying something, and Wang looked a little surprised and confused.
The man opposite was still holding the round fan in his hand. He had his head down at this moment, not knowing what he was thinking about, and did not respond to his mother's words for a while.
Xu Shuyao felt secretly resentful, but in this situation, she had to say something.
Because...if she doesn't tell me, she'll be dead.
Xu Shuyao quickly concealed the panic and embarrassment in her eyes and looked at Wang with a calm expression.
"Mother! I want to tell you something..." She just opened her mouth when she saw the man next to her speaking to Wang.
Xu Shuyao was anxious and interrupted the other person before he could finish. "It's too hot here. Why is my aunt here? The prince was asking me how to make sour plum soup!"
Xiao Mo on the opposite side looked over with complicated eyes.
Xu Shuyao ignored him and stood up. She wrapped the handles of the pot with a cloth and poured sour plum soup into the cup on the tray beside her. As she poured, she smiled and said, "Is the old lady rushing me? It will be ready soon. It will be ready soon."
There was not a single flaw in her expression. She poured just the right amount of sour plum juice into each cup, without even a speck of it spilling.
Xiao Mo stared at the calm woman in front of him, but suddenly shook his head.
Wang watched all this, and the look of surprise and doubt on her face gradually faded away.
She smiled awkwardly and said, "Thank you for your hard work. It's so hot."
Then he turned to his eldest son and said, "What are you doing in the kitchen, a man? It's hot in here. You can ask your cousin Xu later when she leaves."
Xiao Mo casually threw the round fan in his hand aside, and looked at Xu Shuyao again before going out. She was still working with her head down, looking meticulous.
He pulled up the corners of his lips and smiled, then said to his mother in front of him, "I'll be leaving now."
Wang grabbed his sleeve and said, "As a man, you should also pay attention to etiquette. Don't do this again in the future."
Then he thought again: "Oh, what was it you wanted to tell me just now?"
Xiao Mo said calmly: "I forgot."
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